21 More Minutes 'Til Midnight
by midnight.wolf62
Summary: Sometimes, it's just too late. / One-shot. Character death.


**21 More Minutes 'Til Midnight**

Tsuna shouted and shouted and then shouted even more, but no matter how much he yelled out, how loud his voice was, or how it echoed throughout the space around him and even beyond, there was no answer.

Was he not loud enough?

Was the rain drowning out his voice?

Could his friend not hear him?

Should he just... give up?

The last thought had popped into his head frequently in the past hour, but Tsuna rejected it heatedly. If anything, it gave him motivation to try even harder. Eyes burning with new motivation (and perhaps tears), Tsuna took a deep gasping breath and again commenced running.

He would find his Guardian. He would _find _his _friend_.

* * *

The man chuckled lightly to himself, though it held no mirth and caused him to cough up blood.

Of course he could here his boss's voice; it reverberated off the walls and spread everywhere. It was all around him. The voice was so clearly pained and desperate... it made something in his chest ache.

The wound on his chest throbbed somewhat less painfully. The gash on his left side burned from the water that got in. If he didn't bleed to death first, the water building up from the rain would drown him. What time was it? His wristwatch had told him it was 11:39 PM, but that was who knows how long ago, after he realized that they could track him using the device and he destroyed it.

If only he hadn't agreed to the deal.

If only he hadn't hid it from his family.

If only he hadn't lied.

In his slight daze, partially induced by pain and then by persistent thoughts, he didn't realize how close his boss was until the shouting was so loud that it sounded like the boy was standing right next to him. The walls of caves were tricky like that, he supposed.

Tsuna was heading towards his direction now. Part of him panicked he would be found; the other part of him wanted him to be - that part wanted to shout and scream, "I'm here!" and it was so strong that it blurred his eyes and dried his throat. He promptly bit his bottom lip and brought his hand up to cover his mouth to keep from making any sound and giving away his location. He denied the second part of him so strongly that his lip bled and his body shook.

He could hear his boss' footsteps now, slapping against the wet stone. He could hear his heavy breathing as the boy stopped momentarily to rest; Tsuna was a few feet away from his little hiding place.

He stopped breathing and tried to calm himself. He tightened the grip over his mouth, so that his voice would not betray him. Ruthlessly, he ignored his heart as it cried out and wept.

And just like that, the boy was running and shouting again, passing him completely.

_I'll be fine, Tsuna. _

The last words he had spoken to his boss suddenly reverberating in his head. He could feel hot tears run down the corners of his eyes and then down the sides of his temple. The man finally pulls his hand from his mouth to breathe, and a gasping, shuddering breath excapes. The water surrounding him is rising.

_And I'll definitely come back, I promise!_

The man chockes with a sobbing laugh.

He was such a liar.

* * *

Tsuna's still shouting when someone firmly grabs his shoulder. The Vongola Tenth tenses at first, but then relaxes slightly when he see's that it's Dino.

But then he notices how sad the man's eyes are.

"Tsuna..." the older man says. And for some reason, it's like there's an air of solemn finality around him. "I think... that's enough."

"No, no, no," he rasps, his voice hoarse, his throat in pain. Then he sees his a few members of his family standing behind the Cavallone boss. He turns to them for help, but to his bewilderment, their eyes dart away.

Gokudera is gritting his teeth. Chrome is silently crying, her tears mixing in with the rain. Reborn's eyes are shadowed ominously by his fedora.

And the rain is falling around them so hard, that he doesn't understand what they're saying at first.

* * *

The funeral was in two days.

Tsuna leaned against his large leather chair, drumming his fingers on his desk and staring out of the window.

It was raining again.

Vaguely, he heard his right hand man sigh from his side.

"Tenth..." Gokudera started. Except, he didn't quite know what to say after that. The drops of rain hitting the glass window filled the silence in the room.

Tsuna doesn't say anything. He can't stop staring at the rain.


End file.
